Diary Entry - 23rd February, 1917

Walford: Well, Bee and I had a good time and we made the most of our time and put every evening in at a theatre. I saw Sid again and had a Sunday morning in his car and we also dined with the Fairbarins on Sunday night. I forgot to mention the great event of our leave - Sam McCaughey's wedding to Una Mc Kellar. It took place on our first morning in London and, of course, we went and met everyone we ever knew. On the 12th, I went down with a bad throat and a temperature and Mildred came round to look after me and also got Dr Blake in to see me. It was nothing much but just enough to stop my going back with Bee on the 13th. Well, on the 19th , I was fit enough to wend my way to Victoria for the leave train but, on arriving, was told there was none running, so I had my warrant stamped and came back to Batt's. The same thing happened the following day, only I had my warrant stamped the night before. On Wednesday, we left but sat on the boat for five hours and were then bundled off and had a free fight to get our warrants stamped as they only had one stamp and there were some 2,000 officers needing warrants and fighting for one little doorway of a waiting room on the station. Stopped the night at the Metropole Hotel. The main event there was that I collected some 12 shillings at snooker in the evening. The boat went at eleven the next morning and had to stay the night in Boulogne as the train did not leave till ten a.m the next morning. Stayed at the Louvre and fell in with a man of the Welsh Fusiliers for a companion. The trian eventually left about twelve thirty p.m. and we reached Acheux at midnight. I found the major of 16th Battery (Messervey) at Candas [?] and we stuck together and stayed  the night in the rest camp at Acheux, the most comfortable one I've been in - it is run by the YMCA. The next morning we got breakfast in the village and walked towards Boozencourt until we picked up an RFC Tender which took us along the rest of the way. I arrived to find none of my battery down at the wagon line and Bailley away on the home course for BCs.

Bee: Very misty and a little colder today. It has got very muddy the last two days. Got quite a lot done to our drainage scheme today and got all the rails off the road. Two guns came up this morning and we had an awful time getting them through the mud. Thaw precautions [illegible] and only two horses are allowed to each vehicle, which is such rot, especially when they only get nine lbs of corn - they are so mean.